Overseer
by AgentOfZion
Summary: A stronger, faster Agent, can the rebels survive? My first story on this website. Please R and R!
1. The Overseer

Morpheus speaks on the phone to Link.

"Operator?"

"Do you have the co-ordinates?"

"Yes."

Morpheus' eyes flicker as the data is uploaded directly to his brain. He speaks again.

"Thanks, Link." He hangs up, turning to Neo and Trinity. "Follow me."

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Agents Jones and Brown sit at a table, discussing something. They turn as a female Agent walks in. From the way they react, straightening in their seats it is obvious she is their superior. She gives them a nod and they continue. She taps her earpiece as if sending them details. They straighten and shift out of the human forms, who look confused. The female stands for a moment longer, as if thinking about something, before her code shimmers down her and she disappears.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

A new potential is about to be offered 'The Choice' by Morpheus when Trinity runs in.

"Agents!"

Morpheus looks worried, then asks, "Can Neo hold them off?"

"Uh, I suppose so?" She runs back out.

"Agents?" the potential enquires.

"Uh, avoid men in suits with dark glasses," Morpheus says, somewhat absentmindedly. "Now, do you want to know the truth?" He shows her the pills in turn.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Neo stands alert as the Agents stride towards him. Trinity has a gun poised at them, ready to fire if necessary. The Agents walk up to Neo, who steps in front of the doorway. Agent Jones raises an eyebrow at this.

"Not everything is about stopping more rebels from being… jacked out I believe you call it?" he says. "I believe we are here more as an… escort."

Neo doesn't look convinced and assumes a fighting stance. A voice rings out.

"Now, we wouldn't want to hurt anybody, would we, Mr Anderson?" the female Agent enquires. Neo drops his stance and stands there looking confused. Trinity comes up next to the Agent, intending to put the gun to her head, but is met with precise moves faster than the blink of an eye, leaving Trinity on the ground, weaponless.

Neo begins to unleash a flurry of questions, "Who are you? How did you get here out of nowhere? What are you-are you an Agent? There are female Agents?"

The female Agent looks amused and says, "I am an Agent… overseer." Trinity looks up at her from the ground and speaks while getting up. She sounds winded. "You're… really fast." The Agent nods. "Faster than those I oversee." She turns to Neo, a hard expression on her face.

"You are… 'The One' that destroyed Smith?" Neo nods, but still looks confused. The Agent continues, "Impressive, for a human." She exchanges a glance with the other Agents, then looks back to Neo, speaking again. "But we cannot allow it." The Agents (not the female one, though) begin to fight Neo, who easily dodges their blows. The female Agent disappears, and only Trinity notices.

"Neo…" she begins. Neo glances up, still easily battling.

"Yeah?"

"The female Agent…" Neo glances around.

"Oops." He downs the 2 Agents and bolts inside to Morpheus.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Morpheus stands alone. The potential is already back on the Nebuchadnezzar. He hears someone in the room. He turns slowly, and reacts similarly to Neo, when he sees the female Agent holding him at gunpoint.

"Who- How- What-?"

The female Agent smirks. "Your One can tell you, I told him already."

Neo comes in, yelling, "MORPHEUS, AN oh…" He aims a kick at the Agent, who in one seamless movement holsters her gun, knocks Morpheus out and dodges the kick. Neo halts for a moment, amazed, but then they fight, a whirlwind of kicks and punches.

Trinity runs in, looks at the fighting and grimaces. She sees the Agent spot her, but doesn't want to distract Neo.

The Agent speaks. "Mr Anderson, your girlfriend has arrived," the Agent hisses, using Trinity to distract him, slamming a blow into Neo and knocking him out too.


	2. Rebel Meeting

**A/N: just realised that I left you all on a cliffhanger. Sorry about that! Here's chapter 2, and guess what! More action! Also, I know about as much of chapter 3 as you do, so...**

 **anyway, here you go! Enjoy!**

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

The Agents leave. Trinity rings Link.

"Operator."

"Link, did you see that?"

"Yeah. That Agent's fast!"

"Is the exit here still working?"

"Yep. Get Morpheus and Neo out too."

Trinity moves Morpheus and Neo's bodies to the ringing phone. She holds the phone to each of their heads in turn, until they are all back on the Nebuchadnezzar.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Morpheus and Neo have been awake for a little while. Morpheus is, understandably, worried.

"Link, call a meeting in the Matrix, we need to tell the other captains," he says. Neo watches the screens flicker to life. "Why haven't we seen her before?"

"She probably hasn't had to get involved, she'd only have to fight the one."

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

All the crews are in the Matrix.

"So why have you called an 'urgent' meeting, Morpheus? Is it about 'the One'?" says a captain that does not believe the prophecy. Neo looks a little annoyed, but stays silent.

"I have called you here due to events that occurred a few days ago." The three from the Neb then proceed to explain what happened. There are mutterings of fear between the captains, until one speaks. "Why didn't she kill you?"

"I don't know," says Morpheus, but Trinity speaks. "I think she wanted to send a message. A message that our One is not indestructible. A message that reminds us to fear them."

A small noise can be heard from the entrance upstairs, barely a whisper. Nobody notices.

"Why not just kill him then?" a captain asks, nodding to Neo. "That'd scare us."

"We'd better go before we attract attention," says one of the captains. Everyone nods in agreement. They start to walk up the stairs, but halt when they see a figure standing at the top of the stairs.

"At risk of sounding cliche, you're too late." The Overseer looks amused at the reactions of the rebels, who rush back down the stairs onto flat ground. "Interesting observations you make, though. Maybe I _should_ 'just kill him'."Neo steps forward and does the come at me gesture. "Come on then!" They Start what is effectively a whirlwind of punches and kicks. Morpheus yells at everyone else to go, so they run over to the stairs. An audible click of an Agent's gun cocking causes them to stop. Agents Jones and Brown stand at the top of the stairs. "No one is going anywhere," one intones.

Neo whirls his head around upon hearing the other Agents, and the Overseer knocks him to the ground. "You seem to get distracted easily, Mr Anderson."

Neo stands up. "Just because I'm down doesn't mean I'm beaten." They continue fighting. Everyone watches. After a little while, they begin to circle each other slowly. The Overseer slams Neo into a wall, but in doing so gives Trinity the opportunity to shoot her at point blank range. This causes everyone to have to dive for cover as the remaining Agents fire at them. A whole shootout starts, and the rebels only succeed because they have more bullets.

Trinity runs over to Neo. "You alright?" She asks, offering him a hand up.

"Yeah." All the rebels return to their respective ships, well aware of the threat now.

 **Yay I did part 2!**

 **:)**

 **Anyway, onto my reply to the only review.**

 **Old Toad- Glad you liked it, here I am, continuing it.**

 **Everyone else who is reading this, go and review already! :P**


	3. Efficiency and Exile

**A.N. Hey, just remembered this existed...**

 **Anyway, I won't keep you waiting any longer, enjoy!**

She is in the ether within the code.

 _Error. Unable to shift to desired location._

"Why?"

 _Disable by Architect for reason: Meeting Request._

"Okay." She shifts to the outside of the Architect's building and knocks.

"Enter." She walks in. The Architect sits and watches her as she walks in.

"You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes. I have called you here because your missions appear to be failing."

"That is incorrect. Primary objective was to remind the humans on the fact that we are superior in the system."

"Secondary?"

"Irrelevant, primary objective was completed every time." The architect frowns.

"You should be able to complete both. You are falling behind the efficiency levels of your subordinates." The Overseer looks nervous.

"Are you suggesting..." she trails off.

"The Agent system is due for an upgrade." He waves a hand. A door opens, and the upgrades (Jackson, Johnson and Thompson) enter. The Overseer looks at them, then back at the Architect.

"Surely we're not that ineffi-" the Architect waves her to the door to the source, where she can be deleted. She stands her ground. The new Agents try to force her to go. She fights back, but three newly developed, upgraded Agents are still easily able to take on an old Agent, albeit an Overseer.

She assimilates fully into the code. She has realised it's over, and is about to succumb to deletion, but then she recalls her purpose. After she realises it can still be fulfilled, the source cannnot delete her, so she stays in the system.

 **Thanks to my reviewer! I forget your username, sorry. Everyone, please review, please?**


	4. The Oracle

**Welcome back to my (now fully) AU story. I want to clear some things up before we start. This is set after the first Matrix, it goes AU afterwards. For my ease, a few things that happened in Reloaded/Revolutions are being taken for granted. This includes the rebels having already met Seraph, Neo knowing about the previous Matrixes and Ones. He also knows who the Architect is.**

 **For clarity in this chapter: The Oracle** ** _does_** **know that the Agents are upgraded, but to avoid confusion she refers to things as the rebels last knew.**

A group of rebels enter the Matrix cautiously, well aware of the recent threat. The Neb crew is nervous, because although Neo can equal the Overseer, she's a machine, and Neo is easier to distract. They are going to see the Oracle. As soon as they are in the Matrix, they see Seraph waiting for them. He opens a nearby back door and they make their way to the Oracle.

She waits for them in a closed off old park, which is more accommodating to a whole ship crew than her kitchen is. She speaks first.

"Hello Neo, Morpheus, Trinity." They each respond in turn.

"I assume you know why we are here," says Neo.

"No need to assume, I'm the Oracle, of course I know why you're here." She looks at their waiting faces and continues, "The Overseer is a program that has existed for a long time now. She has been around since the first Matrix, although she does not choose to… reveal herself often. She is in charge of the current Agents."

"How can we beat her?" asks Trinity. "She's seriously fast."

Seraph comes over and the Oracle nods at him, and turns to Trinity, speaking, "You will know, when the time comes." She leaves.

Morpheus' phone rings. He answers. It is Link.

"Sir, something's heading your way fast. Get out of there!"

The Neb crew spin around towards the back door, only to see the Overseer standing in their way. Trinity swears softly, causing the Overseer to raise an eyebrow. Morpheus changes direction and tries to get them out a different way, but shortly afterwards he feels a gun pressed to his temple. A hissed voice.

"Check. Your move." Neo, complying with that statement, kicks her gun, sending it spiralling away, while Trinity tries to get a clear shot at the Overseer, who is dodging Neo's punches whilst retaliating with her own.

A crash in the distance, and they all glance up. The upgraded Agents have forced their way in. The Overseer grimaces slightly at their appearance.

"Why are you surprised?" asks Trinity. "You're in charge of them, aren't you?"

The Overseer smirks slightly. "You have much to learn about the 'ways of machines'." She stalks up to meet them. Agent Johnson, the leader of the trio, speaks, the slightest of frowns on his face.

"You are scheduled for deletion." The Overseer raises an eyebrow.

"Can I deal with the rebels first?" She smirks.

"No, you know yourself that you,"

A voice from behind her continues,

"Are the primary target." Jackson finishes, aiming a blow at her head. Her reflexes are fast, though, and she ducks. The rebels watch the exchange from a distance, confused as to why Agents are fighting each other. Neo looks ready to join the fight, but a look from Morpheus tells him they can wait for one of the parties to attack, or they can leave. With the Overseer distracted, they leave through the back door.

The Overseer taunts the Agents as she fights. She knows that they had heightened senses and reflexes in the Architect's chamber, and do not have them here.

"Not so strong without 'father''s support, are you?" she asks, dodging a kick from Thompson. She sends a punch towards Johnson, and continues, "I, however, seem to be managing just fine." This causes a snarl to appear on his face. It doesn't affect his fighting, which is disappointing for the Overseer, who is being slowly backed into a corner.

Suddenly, as the Agents knock her to the ground, they are dragged away by something. She flips herself onto her back and looks up at the face staring inquisitively down at her.

Smith.

 **Yay. More soon!**

 **Review reply:**

 **Benignmilitancy: Glad you liked it! Because of all your questions, I made the rebels meet the Oracle and encounter the Overseer instead of having the Overseer be captured by Merv.**

 **And I had to add Smith. Of course I did. Smith's cool. More Smith next chapter.**

 **I shall update soon**


	5. Smith?

The Overseer looks at him uneasily.

"Smith."

He gives a small smile, holding out a hand for her.

"Overseer." She takes the hand and stands. He continues to speak, "You were… exiled?"

"The Architect thinks that three upgraded Agents, and a supposed drop in efficiency levels is enough evidence to delete me, or attempt too."

"So you too felt the pull of… purpose?"

"Indeed."

He seems satisfied with the reply. They continue speaking about the various advantages and shortfalls of being exiled. Somehow Smith's clones do not yet come into conversation. Suddenly the Overseer becomes curious.

"How did you manage to beat the upgrades? I knew you were the most advanced of your… group, for want of a better word, but I did not think you could take on three upgrades on your own and survive." Smith smirks.

"In a way, I didn't do it on my own." The Overseer raises an eyebrow. A clone steps in. "After all," another clone, "There are," and another, "Always more of," and another, "Me," yet another, "Me," "Me," "And me."

The original speaks again. "I've been a little busy, as you can see." The Overseer raises her eyebrows and gives an impressed nod. She tilts her head.

"How?"

"Overwriting codes, in a way, but it overwrites human minds too."

"Impressive. And this stems from the ability to temporarily overwrite a RSI that you used to have?"

"I believe so." He looks thoughtful, then continues, "I didn't think a high level program such as you would choose exile over the alternate…?"

"It wasn't a choice, you know that, Smith. You felt the threads of purpose pulling you back to this world, just as I did." Smith nods slightly. They start to walk, and Smith's clones keep cloning people along the way. The Overseer watches the first few clonings from a distance, seeing the ways the code flows, much in the same way as the RSI appears. Smith speaks to her.

"You know, I hate this place." The Overseer looks at him. It's obvious she does not feel the same way. "I feel… trapped, less now than before, but still trapped. Purpose is fine, but it is… constricting… in a way." The Overseer nods slowly.

"Is that why you are… cloning yourself into everything?" Smith nods. The Overseer notices the circle of Smiths forming around her and the gleam in his eye and straightens. "Smith, don't you even—" Her words are cut off as he plunges a hand into her, hissing, "I will do this. I must. This is my new purpose."

She gasps at the code slowly being overwritten, but fights it and keeps talking. "Surely I would be… useful… to have on your side?"

"I gain the memories and abilities of those I overwrite," he snarls, and another clone steps into help, jamming another hand into the software in front of him. She looks at him with a superior expression and shimmers into the code, appearing again not far away, looking slightly winded and annoyed.

"System try to reject you?" Smith closes in on her.

"Tried." She cracks her neck, very much like Smith does, and then grimaces after realising that fact. "Your overwrite worked reasonably well, but you forget what I am."

He slams his hand into her again, this time the silver spreads very fast to the position it was in before. She grimaces, and starts to shimmer out, but with a jerk backwards the system rejects her. Smith smiles. He knows he has won. The silver closes over her head and forms into another clone. Smith adjusts the clone's tie and it thanks him.

 **Don't worry, she'll be back! (somehow)**

 **Is that good, or bad? :P**

 **Hey, I finally remembered her shifty shimmery stuff!**

 **Please review!**


	6. Trust

**Whee! More Story!**

 **Italics signify messaging, each new line is a reply, for example:**

 _hi_

 _How are you_

 _good, u?_

 _good_

 **After watching reloaded, I decided most of what happened in reloaded is taken for granted. Just too much stuff happens in that to ignore, so only things like: the Neb being destroyed, Neo's coma, Zion being about to be destroyed, etc., are ignored.**

 **Bane may happen if I feel like it...**

 **Anyway, this chapter is longer than the previous ones. I don't know whether I like it, let me know whether Overseer/Smith is at least vaguely in character :P.**

 **Enjoy!**

Ghost and Niobe enter the Matrix. Niobe answers the waiting phone, and they continue walking. They round a corner, only to see Smith (and clones) waiting for them. Niobe signals to Ghost, and they run back the way they came, only to have more clones surround them. The clones close in, but everyone halts as they hear conversation. Both parties in the conversation are speaking with Smith's voice.

"No, we don't have time for this."

"Oh please, you can make the time." is the condescending reply.

"No."

"Smith…"

"No. That's final. You have given me no valid reason to release you."

"Except the fact that I can fight back."

The other Smith snorts and stalks towards the rebels. It is obvious he is the original, as the clones make a path for him. Another clone, the one that had been speaking tries to follow, but is cut off by more clones. This clone kicks them down, causing the rest of the clones to attempt, relatively easily, to stop it. This provides the necessary distraction for Niobe and Ghost, who run silently back to the phone, which starts ringing. The Smiths notice, but are unable to get to the rebels in time.

Sparks pulls them out.

"That was weird." Niobe stands up. "What was he doing?"

"Sounded to me like one clone was fighting against Smith's overwrite," replies Ghost. "Should probably let the other captains know, see if anyone else can work it out.

And they send it off.

—

Aboard the Neb

—

Link reads the message out to the Neb crew.

"He's fighting… with himself?" asks an incredulous Trinity.

"Appears so."

Morpheus stands quietly, thinking.

"Who could fight it, though? Isn't it an overwrite?" asks Neo.

"It should be, it acts like an overwrite, which should be permanent." Replies Link.

"Well, who could fight that? No rebels have been taken, so it must be a progr— ohhhh…" Neo pauses as he comes to a conclusion. "It could be that Overseer, she'd be able to…"

Morpheus nods, still thinking, but agreeing with what Neo says. He speaks, "She wants her RSI back, from what they could hear," he gestures to the computer, referring to Niobe and Ghost, "And it sounds like Smith isn't happy that she's kept at least some of her… individuality."

Link looks like he's about to say something, then looks back at the computer. He reads the code scrolling down the screen, and loads something on another screen that looks like Matrix code frozen in place. "Huh."

"What is it?" asks Trinity, peering at the screen.

"Someone got a message to us somehow." he presses a few buttons, and it turns into English.

 _Hello. After Smith's refusal of giving me my RSI back, I knew the best option would be to contact you, no matter how little I actually wish to speak to you. You know who this is, even I will admit you can work that out, at least._

They send a reply back, after Link presses a few buttons.

 _This is Morpheus. How are you doing this without his knowledge?_

 _He told me to leave, it was best to obey that._

 _Why contact us?_

The reply doesn't come until a long time after.

 _I know that the only one that has a chance against Smith is Neo._

 _You would admit such a thing?_

 _It is the truth. He easily overcame me, and although I can match Neo in a fight, somehow I know Neo would be better at… crowd control._

 _You think so?_

 _I already stated my opinion on the matter._

 _Hi, this is Neo… Morpheus told me what you said… thanks._

 _You're welcome. It is the truth._

 _What will he do to you?_

 _When he gets full control of the Matrix? Probably hurt me until my earlier behaviours collapse and only he is left. Or just delete me, which would be faster._

 _You… want my help?_

 _What would you be able to do? His program is already through half of the Matrix. He already has me, and I am stuck here, so even if I reverted back to my original form, he would still get me. It is pointless._

 _I'm going to talk to Morpheus._

Neo stands and finds Morpheus. Morpheus is understanding, but makes the same point as the Overseer did. They cannot save her. Neo argues,

"Surely there's something we can do!"

"Are you forgetting what she is? Her kind have been fighting us for centuries. We shouldn't even think about helping, and even if we could, we can do nothing."

Trinity walks in then, and sighs. "Neo, she's an Agent. No, worse than that, an Overseer."

Neo frowns and returns to the computer, ready to tell the program, but then he sees a message.

 _There is one thing. You and your people may not like it, but it is the only possibility._

 _What is it?_

 _Allowing my programming to reside aboard your ship: on the computer systems or similar._

 _Zion will never allow it. I will not allow it. -Morpheus_

 _Your kind are good at not following orders…_

 _so? My crew will listen to me, whether they listen to Zion or not._

 _So, the only one I have to convince is you._

 _…really? It's not happening._

 _You would leave me to die at the hands of Smith?_

 _as you would once have done to us, gladly._

 _I believe 'once' is the key word. I would not do it now._

 _how do we believe that?_

 _Trust._

Morpheus runs a hand over his head. This program is good at arguing. He turns to Neo, who has been watching the exchange silently.

"Go, before I change my mind."

 _They are coming._

 _Thank you, Morpheus._

 **Hmmmm...**

 **Please review, more soon!**


	7. Rescue

**I'm attempting to make the chappies longer.**

 **'Cells burning' is a reference from the latest Doctor Who episode. THE NEW DOCTOR IS FEMALE AND SHE'S AWESOME**

 **Ahem. Enjoy. More soon. Please review, It's encouraging me.**

The Overseer, still in the form of Smith, sits at the computer through which she had been communicating with the Neb. She turns at hearing a noise. Standing to walk to the door, she places a hand on her Desert Eagle. She opens the door.

"Smith. What do you want?" He glances at the computer over her shoulder without answering, and she manipulates the Matrix code to shut it down. It is then that he answers, frowning slightly.

"I want everything." She raises an eyebrow, so he continues, "Your denial of the fact that I have won is beginning to irritate me."

The Overseer leans towards him.

"You have not won, or we wouldn't be having this conversation at all." A few clones walk into the room slowly in an attempt to intimidate her, so she continues, "Also, your intimidation attempts are pathetic." She watches passively as he strides past her, booting up the computer.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Neo starts tapping on one of the screens next to a chair. Trinity is arguing with him, and Morpheus is attempting to calm he down.

"You can't go in alone!" she yells.

"He's the One, Trinity, he'll be fine," Morpheus calmly replies. Link just sits quietly in the operator's chair as Morpheus continues, "And we'll need you to help us prepare the construct for her."

Neo lays down, and Trinity goes over and kisses him gently.

"Stay safe."

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Smith loads the program that the Overseer had been using to talk to the rebels with and reads through the history.

"You won't escape." He states it as an undeniable fact. The Overseer straightens slightly as she notices what's coming, and holds back a smile. Smith may not believe it, but she does.

"We'll see."

Neo crashes into the room via the roof and glares at Smith, clones start pouring into the room, but Neo grabs the Smith standing apart from the others (Overseer/Smith) and flies back out. They land on a rooftop a short distance away. He pulls out his phone and asks for an exit. They fly again, and land in front of a ringing phone. Neo still has his mobile out, but passes it to the Overseer. She speaks.

"Hello."

"Okay, hold on while I get used to the fact you sound like Smith," Morpheus says.

"Of course I do, he attempted to clone me."

"So, you'll have to exit the Matrix the same way we do: through the hard lines."

"I see."

"It could be painful."

"I see." She gives the phone back to Neo, doubtful that pain could be caused to her. As an Agent Overseer, what would be excruciating pain for a human is barely a tingle. But as she picks up the phone, what she does not expect is the feeling of her whole body tearing apart, every cell feeling like it is burning, pain making the process feel like forever…

…and then rebirth. A plain white, endless land. Relief. She collapses.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

Neo glances at the monitors that show the prone form of the Overseer/Smith.

"You think she's okay?"

Morpheus turns to him.

"She should be alright, the transfer worked fine."

"Bet it's the first time one of their kind has ever felt pain." Trinity hisses that statement through her teeth. Morpheus and Neo step back, an angry Trinity is not a good thing. Link tells them to look. The Overseer is getting up.

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01101001 01111000

She stands up, and knows they are watching. They saw her, weak, defenceless, helpless, and yet they did not harm her. That is a good sign. She senses the change in code as someone enters, a slight fizzing that tells her something has changed. She spins around.

"Hello, Morpheus." He dips his head in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Overseer."

"We are going to need 'proof' that you are not Smith pretending to have fought.

"Honestly, for him that would be useless, but what do you suggest?

"Calling Neo by the name he chooses. Smith won't do that." She starts to speak, but Morpheus cuts in, clarifying, "say it to his face."

She nods, looking around at the empty whiteness and speaks.

"This is your 'construct'?"

"Yes, the construct is a loading program. We can load whatever we need."

"Including me."

Morpheus chuckles at that. "I suppose so." At that moment, Neo enters the construct behind Morpheus. The Overseer nods her head in acknowledgement, causing Morpheus to turn around.

"Neo. Glad you could join us."

"Hello, Neo." The word doesn't come off her lips easily, and a curling presence within her rises up, annoyed, but she pushes it down. Neo smiles slightly and speaks to Morpheus.

"Definitely not Smith."

The Overseer tilts her head slightly.

"I assume you have some idea of how to… make me look as I should, rather than this?"

Neo nods.

"We have to work out what part of the code to remove, and if that will remove anything vital, well, we'll work it out."

"And how will you find which part of the code it is?"

Neo and Morpheus exchange a glance and the Overseer straightens. She sighs. "You need a code reference of Smith, don't you?"

"Yes."

The Overseer nods. "It is possible, though you have to get the code copy from the original."

"Uh, how do we know which one that is? They all look the same."

"You'd be able to discern it if you tried hard enough, but that is where you will require my assistance, If you want it done with any speed."

"How do we get his code out once we find it, though?" The Overseer tilts her head, thinking.

"There is only one 'person' that I know can alter codes that easily. I believe you've met him."

"We have to see the Architect." Neo looks annoyed behind his glasses whilst the Overseer nods. Morpheus exits the construct as the Matrix appears around them. This area seems unaffected by Smith — so far. Neo leads the way through the crowds, but halts as he feels a familiar presence.

"He's close."

The Overseer reads the codes around them.

"Head towards him? He's that way." She points to the right, a much less busy street. They continue closer to the clones, rounding a corner. There the clones are. Neo looks at the Overseer for confirmation, and she shakes her head. None of these are the original. Neo turns to go, but she shakes her head again, and begins to speak to the clones.

"We wish to speak with Smith." Before the clones start to speak, her voice lowers, growling, "the original."

The crowd parts. They want them to walk in towards the original? Well, that is smarter. After a glance at Neo, the Overseer walks into the crowd, not looking at any of them or their codes. A Smith waits for them. Not the original. She shakes her head at Neo.

"I asked for the original." The clone sneers, but steps back, and soon the original comes forward. He raises his eyebrows, mocking.

"Yes? Why are you here?"

"Oh, we're just here for the pleasure of your company," the Overseer quips. Data flickers behind her eyes as she, symbol by symbol, saves his code to her memory.

"I asked a question, you haven't given me a proper answer. Why are you here?"

She nearly has it all, so it is okay to tell him.

"We are here so that I can become… myself… again."

Smith frowns and realises what she's doing, as do all the clones, which start coming towards them. They'd left a big enough space that by the time the Overseer lets Neo know they are done, the clones are still not close enough to get them as they fly up and out. They answer the ringing phone and exit back to the construct. The Overseer causes 2 computer screens to appear. On one she downloads her code, on the other, the copy of Smith's code.

Code scrolls down both screens in a blur, and Neo watches, not able to see it well enough to help.

The Overseer watches silently, then she stops both of them scrolling. "Found it."

"Where is it?"

"In one of my central systems. Told you we'd need the Architect."


	8. The Architect

**I have returned...**

 **R &R please! **

They enter the Matrix, heading to where the Oracle should be. She waits for them, Seraph by her side. The look on Seraph's face when he sees the Overseer and the way she straightens shows they have met before, and under much less pleasant circumstances. When they start to explain their situation to the Oracle, she nods, and signals Seraph to let them through the backdoor. He takes them through the corridors, still obviously not happy with the company. He opens the door and leaves them to continue through. The room they end in only has one other door, and it is a pretty plain room. Neo walks up to the door, and using another of the key he had in reloaded, opens the door, again revealing blinding light. They all step through.

—

The Architect spins around on his chair to face them. He obviously wasn't expecting them, and didn't want to see them either. The Overseer purses her lips slightly, but doesn't say anything. The Architect, pointing to her, speaks.

"Why did you bring one of them in here?" The rebels remember what it must look like, with her being a Smith clone.

"Uh, this isn't one of them. Look closer at the code." Neo says, he can see the difference if he tries hard enough, and the Architect would be able to see the differences easier than he can. The Architect raises an eyebrow.

"Well, a more appropriate question would be 'why did you bring her in here?' She is scheduled for deletion, and this is part of the source. The only reason I haven't deleted her yet is curiosity." At this remark, the Overseer takes a small step forward.

"Well, let's just say: One, I'm stronger than you thought I was, and two, I don't want to continue looking like one of them anymore."

"What she's trying to say is that we want to edit the Smith part out of her code. Where it is in her code is the main problem."

"I see." The Architect frowns at her, looking at the code. "Yes, quite a conundrum. You want me to remove it." At a nod from all the other people in the room, he continues, "Why should I?"

"It would be more beneficial to keep me 'alive' than deleted at this stage, the Smith virus will soon be beyond — or is already beyond regular Agent control. To put it simply, you need me." The Overseer steps forward again, closer to him. "Don't deny it."

The Architect agrees, and with a wave of a hand he has made what looks like an operating table, but with very different instruments, due to the fact they are accessing code rather than flesh. He begins to work, cutting through the code. The Overseer's form flickers into code that is visible to even Morpheus and Trinity. The flickering subsides temporarily as the Architect cuts a different line through her. Neo watches with awe as the precise moves are performed. Her form flickers again, but this time it is from Smith to her usual form. The Architect removes another piece of code and the prone form jerks, but flickers one last time to her regular form. The Architect steps back.

Hissing through her teeth, the Overseer stands and cracks her neck. After examining her body, she turns to the Architect. She gets down on a knee.

"I am still one of the system, and you know you can call upon my services whenever required." She stands, "Thank you." He nods and they leave, exiting the Matrix again.

—

They are all residing on the Neb when a proximity alarm goes off. The Overseer's voice crackles through the system, "I'm uploading to the mem-drive, the sentinels have a—" She is cut off as a large explosion rocks the ship, sending it crashing to the ground. Morpheus, heeding the Overseer's warning, grabs the mem-drive and they all leave the Neb wreck. Trinity pulls Neo through the wreckage, but a sentinel comes very close to them. Neo reaches out and fries the sentinel's circuits with his mind. He falls over, but (unlike in the movies) he is just very tired. Trinity pulls him up.

"We have to keep going!"

They run through the wreckage, and it isn't long before another ship finds them. The hammer.

They climb aboard and go straight to the rooms. It has been a long day for them all.

—

When they wake, Morpheus goes to talk to Roland, who is in his room. He tells him about the Overseer. Roland refuses to plug her in, but Maggie says they should at least see what is on the mem-drive. They plug it in. As they examine the code, a construct-esque thing sets itself up, and activates the Overseer program. She talks through the operator computer to them.

"Apologies if you plugged this in unknowingly, I had to be sure that my program would not merely be left in a storage container, of sorts." Roland pulls the operator headphones onto his head so he can talk to her.

"Why should I leave you active on my ship?"

"Confer with the Nebuchadnezzar crew for confirmation." Roland turns to Morpheus. "Why not just destroy her?"

"We told her we would keep her… safe from Smith."

"What's a promise to a machine?"

"A promise is a promise, Roland. And I will keep my promise." At this, Morpheus turns away and leaves, going into the room where a prone body lies on a table, hooked up to life-preserving machines and equipment.

Bane.

Morpheus asks Colt why Bane is on their ship.

"Last one left of his."Is the reply. "EMP was activated by someone, Sentinels got 'em. He was the only survivor."

Morpheus leaves.

The Overseer is wandering through the code all through the system. Oh how easy it would be to bring the whole thing down… but that would not end well for her. She knows this, and so just observes. She finds something curious when she finds the software hooked up to Bane. As she reads the code equivalent of what is occurring in his brain at that moment, she realises what it is. She analyses the data, sure it must be a mistake, but no. Something is replacing his brain, rewiring it. But what?

She calls through the system. Morpheus answers, walking to the Operating desk. "What is it?"

"I am curious about the man who is in a coma."

"Bane?"

"He is the only one in a coma aboard this hip to my knowledge, so yes. Bane."

"What about him?"

"How did he get in a coma?"

"Uh… we're not sure. Probably pulled out of the Matrix too fast when they saw there were sentinels coming… but nothing certain. The rest of his ship's crew got killed, he was the only survivor after an EMP blast took down their ship.

The Overseer frowns. "If that is all you know…"

"Yes."

"That will be all."

Morpheus pulls the headphones off. He should have asked her what she knew, but he hadn't. He had merely answered her questions, not thinking of the repercussions. What did she know that made her wonder about it?

—

Bane woke. Maggie stood next to him, ready to ask him questions. He merely responded with, "I can't remember," and walked away. He walked around, memorising the layout of the ship, memorising names and faces, and being delighted to discover his arch-nemesis was aboard the ship. He got to the operator's console. He watched the code and the monitors. The Overseer was here?

"What's she doing here?" He asked to the nearest person, who happened to be Mauser.

"Neb crew rescued her from the Matrix after Smith partially destroyed her."

Partially destroyed? I had fully destroyed her.

Or so it had originally appeared.

Until she fought back.

Gritting his teeth, he walked away. It wasn't quite time for revenge yet. Soon.

—

It didn't take long for Bane to be trusted enough to 'keep an eye' on the Overseer. He was given duty when everyone else was sleeping. Time to finish the job he started a fair time ago. He pulled on the operator's headset. He speaks.

"Overseer."

She tilts her head, trying to work out whose voice it is. "Yes?"

"Long time, no see."

"Who is this?"

At that, Bane(/Smith) nearly laughs. The great Overseer, his one time commander, the most powerful Agent program— besides himself, possibly, still hadn't worked it out.

"Let me give you a clue. I'm not truly who I am."

"Such a helpful clue," she deadpanned, trying to comprehend what his words might mean.

"Oh, but it is."

At another confused look from her, he speaks one more time. "I'll come in and show you."

He plugs himself in, knowing full well that he can eject himself out if need be, and hacks his mind into her private construct. He chooses to show himself as Bane at first.

"Bane."

"Yes and no." He gives a smirk, and keeps that on his face as he shows what he now truly is. "You thought you could escape me?"

"Only one of you?" She gives an evil grin. "Of course I can!"

Smith frowns, and starts to fight her. The Overseer, out of her element here, is not fighting as well as she potentially would, whilst Smith makes use of the undefined nature of the construct, changing the terrain, slowly caging her in. He advances to the front of the cage .

"No, you can't."

Smith suddenly straightens, as if he is aware that someone entered the room in the real. He shifts back to Bane's form and resets the terrain. "And I don't believe that they will trust your word over mine. The most you will do is make them suspicious." The Overseer then holds up a thumbdrive, barely anything overall, but Smith knows what it contains. Proof of what he is. Bane/Smith's face contorts with rage as he flies at her, attempting to pull it from her. She makes it disappear again.

"We will beat you, Smith. An army of copies will not even stand a chance. Give up."

"No." He logs out.

 **CLIFFHANGERS HAHAHAHAHAHA (sorry not sorry)**

 **Chapters come faster if you review... (wink wink)**

 **I shall attempt not to cliffhanger the next chapter.**

 **Also, this was a NaNoWriMo practice chapter. Go join NaNoWriMo and attempt to write lots of words in a month! (Amazing advertising...)**

 **Now... review!**


End file.
